


Breaking the Ice (indefinite hiatus)

by MarvelMinx (AllMyNamesAreTaken)



Category: Actor RPF, American (US) Actor RPF, Chris Evans (actor) - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Implied/Referenced Sex, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:21:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22294717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllMyNamesAreTaken/pseuds/MarvelMinx
Summary: Shortly before Chris leaves Massachusetts for England to film Captain America: The First Avenger, he meets a new addition to his social circle, British architect, Jasmine Hartley. They share a spark and an immediate connection but her troubled past, his sordid one, and his imminent departure all threaten to end things before they even start.
Relationships: Chris Evans (Actor)/Original Female Character(s), Chris Evans/Original Female Character(s) of Color
Comments: 7
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**April 2010**  
  
“Who’s that?” Chris gestured toward a woman in a turquoise bikini sitting on the edge of his pool. “The woman talking to Grant?”  
“That’s his boss,” Brad replied.  
“His boss?” Chris’s eyebrows shot up. “Jesus. Why can’t my boss look like that?”  
“I’m not sure turquoise is Feige’s colour. She’s new in town. Grant brought her along to introduce her around.”  
“He hasn’t introduced her around here.”  
“I can nudge him for you?”  
“Don’t you dare.” He shook his head vehemently, not wanting to appear obvious. Although he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “I’m sure he’ll get around to it. It’s my party, after all.”  
Brad looked at his friend. “Are you ready to start dating again?”  
Chris grimaced, lifting his beer to his mouth. “More than ready. After Psycho Sara, I'm looking for a nice, easy ride.”  
His last girlfriend had been his biggest mistake. They had only been together for eight months but the way she acted anyone would have thought it was closer to eighty years. It had certainly felt like it. Prone to fits of jealous rage, he could barely be in the same zip code as another woman without triggering her. He’d tried his hardest to reassure her because when she was calm, she was lovely. Smart and funny, two of his favourite traits. In the end, the histrionics had been too much for him to handle. Ending the relationship, however, hadn’t been at all easy and had necessitated the changing of phone numbers, and not just his, the security codes to his houses on both coasts and, eventually, a court order. He’d been taking a break from dating ever since.  
“Only small talk after we were introduced. Her name is Jasmine, she’s British, obviously an architect… She seems nice but we only really said hi.”  
Chris nodded, sipping his beer again. He watched her and Grant as they talked. She said something and they both laughed, and Chris found that he couldn’t help smiling along even though he had no clue what they were talking about.  
“Hey, Tahlie!” Brad called out as Grant’s wife walked by. “You must know Grant’s boss. What’s she like?”  
“Jasmine? She’s lovely. She comes to the bookstore a lot and we have coffee. Why, are you interested?”  
“Haha,” Brad said dryly, hitching his thumb at Chris. “Not me, this idiot.”  
Tahlie raised an eyebrow, giving him a quick once over. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”  
Chris glared at Brad as Tahlie grabbed his hand and towed him around the pool. “Please at least be subtle about it,” he begged her.  
“Jasmine, honey, I don’t believe you’ve met our host yet? This is Chris. Chris, this is Jasmine.”  
Jasmine got to her feet and he couldn’t help but watch her long legs unfold. Like a baby deer, he thought. She smiled and held out her hand. “Hi, Chris. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”  
“Likewise.” He smiled and shook her hand. His friend and his wife discreetly melted away into a nearby group of people  
“I was just telling Grant how much I loved you as Jason Bourne.”  
Chris frowned. Her expression was completely earnest as she looked at him expectantly. “Uh…that-that wasn’t me…” A mischievous grin lit up her face and he realised he’d been hand. He laughed. “Okay, I’m going to let you have that one. That was good.”  
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.”  
“That’s okay. I’ll get you back sooner or later.”  
“It’s a date.” She beamed up at him and he found he was glad to be wearing sunglasses because he thought he might struggle to meet her gaze otherwise. His skin felt hot as it was and it wasn’t just the spring heatwave warming him up.  
“Uh…how long have you been in Boston?”  
“Just over two months. It’s a beautiful city.”  
He nodded enthusiastically. “It really is. Have you had much of a chance to look around?”  
“Not really. I keep intending to plan a route and spend a weekend walking around but work keeps getting in the way.”  
“You’re an architect, right? Do you do the same kind of things as Grant?”  
“No. He does big commercial and industrial showpieces, like the harbour project he’s working on now. I do residential properties. I prefer making homes for people.”  
“Are you working on anything at the moment?”  
“Not yet.” She looked down at the ground and Chris sensed she was uncomfortable. “What about you, what are you working on?”  
“Everything. I’m enjoying my last couple of weeks of freedom but after that, I’m shooting two movies back-to-back.”  
“Including Captain America?”  
He took a deep breath, suppressing the familiar jolt of anxiety he got when he heard those words. “Yes, including Captain America.”  
Jasmine tilted her head and gave him a dazzling smile, instantly cheering him up. “I loved you in Sunshine.”  
“You saw that?”  
“Yeah. It was completely weird in a Danny Boyle sort of way but I honestly enjoyed your performance. I was very sad when you died.”  
He grinned. He liked her. Her voice sounded as if it had been out all night, up to no good at all, and the way she looked at him from under her long, thick eyelashes made him feel itchy inside. “We’re just about to play some games. I need a partner for the jousting, if you want to join in?”  
She arched an eyebrow. “Jousting?”  
“Let me get you a drink and then I’ll explain.”  
“I’d love a vodka soda, please.”  
Chris smiled and went back to the house to mix her drink, finding Grant in the kitchen with his head in the fridge. “What are you looking for?”  
“Something sweet. Speaking of, how’s it going with Jasmine?”  
“We’ve been talking for two minutes.”  
“But were they good minutes?”  
He sighed. “She seems nice. I’d like to talk to her some more, preferably when my friends aren’t circling around us trying to listen in.”  
“I was looking for my sunglasses!” Grant said defensively. “Anyway, please be gentle with her. She needs some friends and I don’t want you two to get involved only for it to end horribly and make her feel as if she can’t hang with us anymore.”  
“Grant, I’ve talked to her for two minutes and you’ve already got us going through an acrimonious break-up.”  
“Just take her out somewhere nice. You can afford it and she deserves it. She works hard.”  
Chris put ice in a red cup, then filled it with vodka, soda and a squeeze of lime. He shook his head at his friend. “Did you bring her here to fix us up?”  
“I thought you’d like her. I mean, look at her. And she’s a sweetheart but feisty when she needs to be. You could do a lot worse. But I also think she’s a good fit for the group, so just don’t fuck it up.” Grant foraged in the cupboard. “Dude, where are all your sweet treats?”  
“I don’t have any, I’m training.” He grabbed himself a beer and headed for the door. “If I have to suffer, so do you.”  
As he walked back outside, he scanned the garden for Jasmine. He found her sitting on a sun lounger beside the pool. Grant was right about one thing, outwardly she was just his type; pretty, brunette, nice body. Her caramel skin had golden undertones when the sun shone it and bronze and copper hairs glinted among her dark curls. When he looked at her, he felt like she should be someone. A model or an actress or an iconic First Lady.  
He handed her the cup and sat down beside her. “So, you’re here permanently? You’re not going back to England?”  
She looked down at her drink, swirling the ice around the cup. Chris thought she might be sad. “I think this is probably it for me. I’ve got a good job with a successful company, and the harbour project and the new office are my babies. I can’t see another company offering me anything near that, not in the UK anyway.”  
“Do you miss home?”  
“Sometimes.” She looked up at him, her eyes flicking over his face. “I miss my friends. Your friends seem cool, though. The ones I’ve met so far, anyway.”  
“They are. I’m glad you like them. Grant says you’ve been working too hard and you need to make friends.”  
She laughed and Chris found himself smiling goofily again. “Grant really has told you all about me.”  
“I wouldn’t say all,” he said in a low voice, wanting to see her smile again.  
She rewarded him with a flash of teeth. “I do work hard but I have to. I’m pretty young to be in this position so I have to prove that I can do it. Over and over again. There’s not a lot of time for socialising after that.”  
“You need to take some time for yourself.”  
“I am,” she said softly, looking up at him from under her lashes, “that’s why I’m here.”  
He grinned at her, thankful that she couldn’t hear his heart pounding He didn’t think he’d ever met a woman with the kind of sex appeal she had. It seemed to tumble out of her when she wasn’t looking, then she’d get control of it for a while before it got away from her again. His thoughts flitted between lying on the couch playing with her hair and fucking her very hard up against a wall. He didn’t want the conversation to end and he searched his one-track mind for a topic. “Where in England are you from?”  
“A little village in a place called Surrey.”  
“Isn’t that where Shepperton is?”  
“Yes,” she said with a look of surprise. “How do you know that?”  
“That’s where I’m going to film Captain America.”  
“Of course! Well, I’m from Cobham, a little further south. Have you been to the UK before?”  
He nodded. “Yeah, but only for work. I shot Sunshine in London. I’d love to go for fun though, my family tree has a lot of roots over there.”  
Jasmine took a sip of her drink before turning those almond-shaped eyes in his direction. “We’re probably related.”  
“God, I hope not!” He looked appalled, making her giggle.  
“My dad’s mum was an Evans.”  
“There’s a very inappropriate joke there but I won’t say it.”  
She grinned at him and his stomach gave a jolt, like an elevator coming to a sudden stop. He raised his bottle to his mouth just to distract himself from her gaze. “I’d love more Evans in me.”  
He coughed and choked as beer came out of his nose. “You are dangerous!”  
“You were thinking it!” She laughed, patting his back and looking around for a napkin.  
“Okay, the thought may have crossed my mind but I’m not the one who said it out loud.”  
She giggled helplessly, giving him a towel so he could wipe his face. “She who dares…”  
“Oh, you want to talk about winning? Okay! Just you wait, young lady.”  
“Sorry to interrupt,” Grant said, appearing behind them. “But isn’t it time for the joust?”  
“Yes!” Chris said. “Gather everyone around.  
“You still haven’t explained it to me,” Jasmine said, looking around at the assembling couples.  
“It’s easy. We pair off into teams of two, I’ll be your noble steed and you use a pool noodle to knock the other riders off their horses.”  
“I don’t know if that’s genius or insane,” she muttered, arching an eyebrow.  
“Grant and Tahlie are the reigning champions, so they’re the ones to beat.”  
“Pfft!” she snorted and drained her drink. “We can take them.”  
“Yes! Atta girl!” They exchanged a high-five and got to their feet.  
There were six couples competing. Everyone got into the pool and Chris submerged himself to duck between her legs, lifting her onto his shoulders. He realised how incredibly intimate it was, with her thighs wrapped around his neck and only a pair of bikini bottoms separating him and what lay between them.  
“Are you okay up there?”  
“You are surprisingly comfortable.”  
If Chris was in any doubt that he wanted to see Jasmine again in a much more private environment, the joust put it to rest. She was as vicious and competitive as he was. To everyone’s surprise, Tahlie was the first to fall from her steed’s shoulders. After that, it was just a case of pointing her in the right direction. When their final opponent had been vanquished, he took her to the side of the pool so she could slide off his shoulders, then turned to give her another high-five. “Good job! You’re my jousting partner from now on.”  
“It would be my pleasure.”  
“Can I borrow you for a moment, Jasmine?” Tahlie interrupted, causing Chris to grind his teeth. “I want to introduce you to Emma and she’s leaving soon.”  
“Sure. Um…see you later?” She turned to Chris and he saw regret in her eyes.  
“I guarantee it.” He watched as she got to her feet, leaving him with only a smile before following Tahlie around the pool. It went without saying that he liked her. On first meeting, women were either too intimidated by who he was or too eager to try to impress him. Jasmine did neither.  
He planned to intercept her as soon as she finished talking to Emma, but he got sucked into socialising at his own party and every time he looked around for her, she was talking to someone else.  
The next time he caught her alone, she had dressed in jeans and a slinky blue top, her curls tied back from her face. His face fell. “You’re dressed.”  
“Yes. A bikini is just socially acceptable underwear, after all.” She smiled, hitching her bag onto her shoulder. “My cab’s here.”  
“But it’s still so early.” He tried to keep the whining tone in his voice to a minimum.  
“I’m helping Tahlie at a dog shelter tomorrow and we start early. I need to sleep off all of those vodka sodas.”  
Great. Now she gave up her Sundays to help abandoned animals. “Let me walk you out.” He led her through the house and out of the front door.  
“I almost didn’t come today,” she said. “But I’m really happy I did. Thanks for having me.  
“I’m really happy you did, too.” He threw caution to the wind. “I was wondering if you’re free one day next weekend? I could take you on a tour of the city and maybe we could grab dinner somewhere afterwards?”  
“That sounds lovely. I’m free on Saturday.”  
“Perfect,” he grinned, taking out his phone to get her number. “I’ll call you during the week.”  
“See you soon.” She gave him a smile that sent his stomach tumbling again.  
She had one foot in the cab when she looked up at him and he realised he couldn’t not kiss her. His lips were on hers before he even realised what he was doing. He broke away, although probably not as fast as he should have. “Shit, I’m sorry, I –”  
“It’s okay,” she assured him, her voice a little breathy. “I’ve always wanted to kiss Jason Bourne.”  
Chris’s mouth twisted into a smile, “Bye Josephine.”  
She laughed hard as she climbed into the car, turning back to wave to him out of the rear window as the cab drove her away into the night. Chris smiled, thrusting his hands into his pockets as he watched the taillights disappear. It was going to be a long week.  
  


* * *

  
“Why is it so hot in here?” Jasmine asked as she walked into the sweltering hot office.  
“The AC is down and the heat is stuck on,” Bea replied. “I called the maintenance company and they said they’d try to get here today but it will probably be tomorrow.”  
Typical. Boston was already in the grip of a springtime heatwave and it would have been bad enough just with no air conditioning but with the vents pumping out heat, it was unbearable. She shuddered and peeled off her jacket. “Can you get everyone in the conference room, please?”  
In her office, Jasmine flung the windows open, letting in hot, humid air and the noise from the street below. Her immediate instinct was to go home but she had a report to prepare for the partners back in London and she’d already spent the past couple of days staring dreamily out of the window thinking about Chris. She went to the conference room and gave everyone else the day off. Nobody argued and the office emptied faster on a Friday night when the first round of drinks was on her. She couldn’t blame them, given the choice she wouldn’t stick around either. With a heavy sigh, she settled at her desk and reluctantly got to work.  
Her cell phone ringing made her glance at the time. She’d worked right through lunch. Without Bea to bring her tea and coffee and remind her to eat, she’d probably still be sitting there when it got dark. No name flashed on the screen, just a number, and her heart skipped a beat at the thought that it might be Chris.  
“Hello?”  
“I have a problem.”  
Her whole body smiled. “I’m sorry to hear that. Is it something I can help you with or do you need to see a doctor?”  
He laughed softly, deep and low, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “It’s definitely something you can help me with.”  
“I’m intrigued. Tell me more.”  
“I don’t think I can wait until Saturday to see you again. Are you by any chance free tonight?”  
“I am.”  
“Could we go out for dinner?”  
“We could.”  
“Can I pick you up from work?”  
“You can.”  
“We could go for drinks first. Shall we say six o’clock?”  
“We shall.”  
“Until tonight.”  
She hung up and spun around in her chair a few times, unable to wipe the grin from her face. The anticipation of seeing him again the following weekend had grown to epic proportions. The time they’d spent together at the party played on a loop in her head and she’d hardly slept for thinking about their fleeting kiss and the way the tips of his ears turned pink as he apologised. She’d wanted to kiss him from the moment she’d made him snort beer out of his nose. The memory made her smile.  
When Grant had invited her along to the party, she hadn’t wanted to go. She had a long list of things she needed to do and little time in which to do any of them. The last thing she wanted was go to a party full of people she didn’t know. But Boston was chock full of people she didn’t know. If she was going to rebuild her life there, she had to socialise. The day of the party dawned hot and humid and the thought of diving into a cool swimming pool had her packing a bikini and calling a cab.  
She hadn’t been expecting to meet someone she’d be attracted to. It had been a long time since she’d even given a man a second glance. Chris had been a surprise. When she’d walked in, he’d been talking to a small cluster of his friends, waving his hands wildly as he related some tale that had them all in stitches. She’d liked his laugh, the way he threw his head back and his eyes crinkled. The longer she looked at him, the more she felt that he looked familiar, which seemed impossible. It was only when she mentioned it to Grant that he’d told her who he was.  
Once she had finished the report and emailed it to her bosses in London, there wasn’t much left for her to do in the empty office. She moved over to the drafting table in front of the window. Architecture was on the move into the twenty-first century and new software advancements meant that hand drawing plans was rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Still, she enjoyed the process of planning by hand. She wiped the sweat from her top lip and peeled her damp shirt from her back. She regretted agreeing to let Chris pick her up from work, she desperately needed to shower and change.  
She lost herself for a couple of hours, drawing up plans for a fantasy house, in the absence of having any real property to work on. Some sixth sense told her to look up, just as Chris sauntered out of the elevator. He wore jeans and a simple t-shirt but he looked like a model as he looked confusedly around the empty office. She waved, catching his attention. He looked cool and incredibly sexy. Jasmine bit her lip and thought highly inappropriate thoughts as she watched him walk towards her office.  
“Hey.” He grinned, leaning against the doorframe.  
She inhaled deeply, trying to wrest control of her thoughts. “Hey.”  
“How are you?”  
“Hot.”  
“Yes, you are.” He looked her up and down in a way that made her feel hotter still as she blushed.  
She swallowed dryly, trying to think of a witty retort but she had nothing. “It’s been a long and uncomfortable day. The AC is down and the heat is stuck on.”  
“Allow me to whisk you away and ply you with food and alcohol until it becomes a distant memory.”  
Jasmine stood up, rolling her shoulders a little to try to unstick her shirt. “Do you mind if we stop off at my place? I really need a shower.”  
“I don’t mind a bit. Are you good to go?”  
“Yes. Take me to your air conditioning.” She grabbed her jacket and swung her bag onto her shoulder.  
He chuckled, falling into step beside her as they headed for the elevator. “Where is everyone?”  
“Being the kind, benevolent leader that I am, I couldn’t let them work in this heat so I sent them all home.”  
“Kind, benevolent and modest. You’re really ticking all the boxes.”  
“I’m guessing you drove here?” she asked as they stepped out of the elevator and crossed the lobby.  
“Yeah, I’m parked just around the corner.”  
“You’re probably closer to my apartment than here, but you can park in my garage if you’d rather?”  
“Where do you live?”  
“Downtown Crossing.”  
“Wow, that really is close. Let’s drive anyway.”  
They walked out onto the street and Chris guided her towards his car. She hoped nobody recognised him. He didn’t deserve to be seen with the sweaty, frizzy mess that she was at that moment. His car was parked barely two blocks from her apartment and she directed him the short distance to the entrance of the garage beneath her building.  
While they waited for the elevator, she studied his profile. “Your eyes are very blue.”  
“You only just noticed?”  
“You wore sunglasses all day at the party.”  
“I did. I’m very sensitive to light,” he explained. “People think I’m just being an asshole but I really struggle in bright light.”  
The elevator arrived with a loud ping that echoed through the garage. They stepped in and Jasmine pressed the button. “What’s it like?”  
“What’s what like?”  
“All of it. Acting, fame…”  
“Well,” he said thoughtfully, “the acting part is fun. Sometimes it can be daunting to pretend to be someone else in front of a room full of strangers but if you have the right cast and director, it can be fun. The fame part I could live without and it’s not even that bad right now.”  
“Surely Captain America will change that?”  
He nodded and saw something flash behind his expression. “Captain America will probably change everything.”  
A slight atmosphere seemed to settle over them and Jasmine worried that she’d unwittingly said something to upset him. But it passed the moment she opened the door to her apartment and Chris saw the panoramic views over Boston.  
He looked around, taking in the huge open plan living area. “Great place!”  
“You think?” She simultaneously kicked off her shoes and tugged out the band that secured her bun. “I think it’s soulless.”  
Interested, he turned to look at her. “That’s a strong word.”  
“I feel strongly. Modern architecture doesn’t have to be steel beams and exposed concrete. This isn’t a home, it’s an art gallery. Everything in it is like an installation. There’s no…” she cast her eyes around, searching for the right word, “comfort.”  
“Why choose it if you hate it so much?”  
“It was chosen for me. It belongs to my firm.”  
He nodded in understanding, picking up a small brass sphere from a side table and turning it in his hands. “What do you like?”  
“Not this,” she muttered, flipping through a pile of mail. “I can’t wait to start house hunting.”  
“It’s an awesome view though. Where does this go?” he asked, peering over the side of the spiral staircase that lead to the lower floor.  
“To the bedrooms. And my shower,” she added wistfully. She padded into the kitchen area and pulled open the fridge, taking out two bottles of Sam Adams. She handed one to him. “Follow me.”  
She led him back towards the front door then opened a door that revealed a flight of stairs going up. At the top, she opened another door and they were momentarily dazzled by bright sunlight as they emerged onto her roof garden.  
“Sorry,” she said, catching him squinting, “I should have warned you.”  
“Woah,” he muttered. “This is seriously cool.”  
“Yeah,” she agreed, a smile creeping up on her face. “It’s the silver lining to having to live in a glass box.”  
He wandered over to the guardrail and stood on his toes to look over the edge. Jasmine admired the shape of his body from the back, the perfect inverted triangle of his upper body and the straight line of his hips and legs. She realised she was breathing heavily and tore her gaze away, walking around the garden of boxed flower beds and checking the plants over, picking off a dead leaf here and there, enjoying the breeze that lifted her damp hair from the back of her neck. She could feel his eyes on her as she moved about, making her feel hotter and more bothered than she had all day. The temptation to just grab him and kiss him was almost overwhelming. When she couldn’t distract herself any longer, she turned to him, finding that he was much closer to her than she had anticipated.  
Chris reached out a hand and ran one of her curls through his fingers. “You really are very beautiful.”  
Jasmine dropped her eyes, the compliment jarring her a little. “Can you say that again when I’ve showered and I’m wearing clothes that aren’t sticking to me?”  
“I can,” he shrugged, “but it won’t be any truer than it is now.”  
She took a step back, needing to put distance between them. If she let him get any closer, she might lose the tiny bit of control she had over her urges. “Feel free to wander around and make yourself comfortable. There’s more beer in the fridge. I won’t be too long.”  
Escaping back to the air-conditioned sanctuary of the apartment, Jasmine bolted down to her bedroom. He was the kind of man she usually avoided, a dazzling sun who would make light work of burning off her wings, leaving her broken. Still, she wanted him. Her body burned every time he looked at her.  
Mentally shaking herself, she stripped off her clothes and got into the shower, letting the cool water pour over her body as she stood beneath the jet. After she’d thoroughly scrubbed of the grime of the day, she turned the temperature down even further, making herself shiver. When she couldn’t stand it for another moment, she shut the shower off. She felt blissfully cool for the first time that day, but even the iciest water couldn’t cool the desire she felt for the man on her roof.


	2. Chapter 2

Chris sat up on the roof, slowly sipping his beer and enjoying the view. The excitement he’d felt about taking Jasmine out dwindled rapidly, morphing into the desire to stay in. He didn’t want to share her with anyone else, not even a waiter in a restaurant. When she returned half an hour later, smelling of something hot and dark, that particular excitement hit zero and another, much more pressing desire took its place. She wore jeans and a white top with a wide neck that hung tantalisingly from one brown shoulder.  
“Do you feel better?”  
“Much. Sorry to leave you kicking your heels.” She carried two fresh beers and handed him one as she sank onto the bench beside him.  
“I’ve been enjoying the solitude. Things are crazy for me right now and this is the first time I’ve had a few minutes to sit and do nothing.”  
“You said you’re shooting two movies?”  
“Yeah. They’re shooting pretty much simultaneously. One of them is here in Boston, so that won’t be so bad, but _Captain America_ is being filmed in England.”  
“How ironic. How long will you be gone?”  
“Well, it’s on and off because of the Boston movie but three or four months.”  
“That’s… that’s bad timing. What’s the other movie about?”  
“Oh, it’s just a romcom. Nothing Oscar-worthy.” He watched as she rubbed her thumbnail along the edge of the label on her beer, studying her profile. “You really are very beautiful.”  
She turned to look at him, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “Thank you. So are you.”  
They were silent for a moment, eyes locked. Chris breathed in her perfume. He didn’t know what it was, but for the effect that it was having on him it might as well have been pure pheromones. “I, uh, I have a restaurant in mind but do you have any preference?”  
“No. Just not Thai.”  
“What have you got against Thai food?”  
“I don’t like fragrant foods.”  
“No jasmine rice?”  
“And no jasmine tea.”  
He watched her fingers as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Her nails were short and neatly polished. He swallowed. “It’s not Thai, so I hope you’ll enjoy it.”  
They went downstairs, dropping their empty beer bottles in the recycling before heading out. Thankfully, the restaurant was within walking distance because after two beers Chris didn’t want to drive. He also wanted to prolong the time he had with her. After a pleasant twenty-minute stroll, they arrived at a busy Mexican restaurant tucked down a tiny side street. Tables packed the small room, only a couple of which were unoccupied, and Mexican music played, competing with the non-stop chatter of the patrons. Candles in tealight holders did most of the work lighting the room, clustered on every surface and casting flickering shadows on the wall. It was the kind of place you had to stumble across or you’d never know it was there.  
They ordered enchiladas and sodas, then sat back, looking at each other in the dim, flickering light. Eventually, Chris leaned forward, his arms folded on the table. “So… tell me about you.”  
“What do you want to know?”  
“Everything. But start with your childhood. Do you have any siblings?”  
“Three. Two sisters and a brother.”  
“Me too! I’m the second eldest.”  
Jasmine chuckled, “Me too.”  
“That is so weird,” he said, his eyes wide, turning her chuckle into a laugh. “Who’s the eldest?”  
“My brother, Henry. He moved to Singapore about five years ago and I don’t get to see him very often.”  
“That must be tough for your parents, having two of their children living so far away from home?”  
She smiled without humour, her eyes suddenly dark and dull and fixed on the table. “It’s just my dad now and he… he and I… we-we don’t get along.”  
An uncomfortable feeling settled over Chris and he knew that this conversation was for another time. They were quiet for a minute as their beers arrived and, once the waitress had gone, he said, “I’m sorry.”  
She looked up at him, her gaze steady, “Don’t apologise.”  
“How about your sisters?”  
“My middle sister, Lily, is probably the most well-balanced out of all of us. She’s married with two adorable kids and runs a riding school. My youngest sister, Daisy, is a hedonist. She’s off travelling and I don’t think anyone knows where she is.”  
“How exotic.”  
She heaved a weary sigh. “It’s for the best. Tell me about yours.”  
“My sister, Carly, is the eldest. Then me, then my brother Scott, who is also an actor, then my youngest sister, Shanna.”  
“Who do you get on with best?”  
“It depends what day it is,” he said with a laugh. “I guess, Scott, mostly.”  
“I sometimes wonder what it would be like if our mum was still alive. She would never have let us all drift so far.”  
“My mom definitely keeps us all in line.”  
“That must be difficult.” The flirtatious note had returned to her voice and he felt relief. “You seem like a handful.”  
“Two handfuls, actually.”  
She reached across the table to take his hands. Her hands were warm and soft, and her touch made his breath hitch. Gently, she closed his hands into fists and placed them one on top of the other on the table. She grinned broadly, leaning back in her seat with a quirk of an eyebrow and a satisfied, “Hmm.”  
He frowned for a second, then realised what she’d done. “Oh! Oh, you are bad!”  
Her laugh was quiet and dirty. She lifted her bottle to her lips, looking at him over the top. “I think you like it.”  
“I do! I just… sometimes I don’t expect it. You flit from flirty but coy to absolutely brazen, and I never know which one I’m going to get.”  
She shrugged, the left side of her mouth lifting into a smile. “It keeps you on your toes.”  
“Tell me how you got into architecture?” he asked after the waitress dropped off two huge plates of food and fresh sodas.  
“I don’t really know. From a young age, I noticed buildings. They fascinated me, and almost everything we do revolves around them, but people don’t give them a second thought. I’ve always wanted to make houses for people. Sturdy, cosy, interesting homes. I used to steal my brother’s Lego and build houses with it. One Christmas my parents bought me a dollhouse and I wouldn’t play with it because it wasn’t structurally correct.”  
He laughed, imagining a stubborn little Jasmine with her arms folded. “When you finally get a chance to go house hunting, what are you looking for?”  
“Character,” she said immediately. “Admittedly most of that comes from the interior design, but the house needs features of its own. The layout is important to me.”  
“I’m guessing you don’t want to stay in the city?”  
“Good guess,” she smiled. “I’ve never been much of a city girl. I like trees. I’d like to be somewhere where the first sounds I hear when I wake up aren’t sirens and traffic noise.”  
“You should set some time aside to find somewhere more permanent.”  
“I know, I know. But first of all, I need to buy a car.”  
“You don’t have a car yet? How are you getting around?”  
“Cabs, mostly. It’s on my list of ‘Things to Do’ but unfortunately, nothing’s getting done.”  
He wondered if he could help her some way, or if she’d even let him. “How are you feeling about living here? Aren’t you homesick?”  
She dropped her gaze to the table and he realised that this was something she did when she found a question uncomfortable. “I’m not sure which home I’m supposed to be sick for. I miss England. I miss knowing where I’m going when I leave the house. I miss the landscape. But other than some very good friends and my sister and her kids, there’s not much left to miss.”  
“Are you happy here?”  
She looked up at him. “That’s the million-dollar question, Chris.”  
“I’ll give you a million dollars to answer it.”  
She cleared her throat, turning her head to rub her chin on her bare shoulder. “I forget who you are when we’re together.”  
His heart soared. “Good.”  
“I’ve answered a lot of questions.”  
“Yes, you have. I have a million more.”  
“I’ve got to be up in a few hours,” she said, her voice tinged with regret. “Some of us have proper jobs.”  
Disappointment crashed in on him even though he understood. “Then allow me to escort you home.”  
“Can you come over on Friday evening?” Her eyes danced between his. “You could stay for the weekend if you don’t already have plans.”  
“I don’t have plans.” Even if he had plans, he would have happily cancelled them.  
She flashed him a smile that sent his stomach into freefall. “I promise I’ll make it worth the wait.”

* * *

  
Jasmine left work a couple of hours earlier than usual on the day of her date with Chris. What was the point in being the boss if she didn’t take advantage of it now and then? She used the time to construct a blanket fort up on the roof, lining the floor with pillows and cushions and even lighting the interior with a couple of strings of fairy lights. Once she had it all set up, she went inside to enjoy a lengthy shower.  
She dressed in a floaty cobalt blue dress, pulling the waist in with a wide tan belt. She spritzed herself with a little perfume and let her curls hang loose. Nerves squirmed in her stomach and she took deep, calming breaths, trying to push them away.  
Shaking herself out of it, she continued getting everything ready. She set up music, laid out snacks and filled a coolbox with ice and bottles of beer. When she was sure everything was just as she wanted it, she left the apartment door on the latch, sticking a Post-It on the outside that read ‘ _Come on up_ ’. She’d given him the card that opened the garage door so he could get his car out on Wednesday evening, so he’d be able to use it to park and activate the elevator.  
She checked the time, smoothing her dress down for the hundredth time, wondering if it was too short or not sexy enough. Catching herself, she rolled her eyes. The dress was fine and she looked good. She went over her mental checklist one last time before going back up to the roof and opening a well-deserved bottle of beer.  
By the time Chris arrived, she’d made herself comfortable in the fort. Her heart skipped at least two beats as she heard the roof door open and she listened to his agonisingly slow footsteps as he crossed the terrace. It seemed like an eternity before he appeared in front of the tent, crouching down to look at her. “Hello.”  
“Hey.” He wore dark jeans and a navy top that shrink-wrapped his muscles. She took a deep, unsteady breath.  
“This is awesome,” he chuckled, looking around her creation. “Does it have a basement?”  
“I didn’t have time for a second storey.” She smiled and patted the space beside her. “Come and take a seat.”  
“Are boys allowed?”  
“No, but for you, I’ll make an exception.”  
He laughed and crawled in to recline beside her. “You look amazing.”  
She scanned his face. “Thank you. You look…different. You’ve had a shave and a haircut?”  
“Yeah,” he rubbed his chin self-consciously. “No beard for Captain America.”  
They were very close to each other. His lips were just inches from hers. Jasmine’s mouth went dry. She had spent the past forty-eight hours fantasising about seducing him the second he walked through the door with barely a hello, but now he was here she realised she wasn’t brave enough.  
“You look terrified.”  
“Do I?”  
“You look like I’m about to eat you.”  
“Well, aren’t you?”  
She could only describe his answering smile as wolfish. “Only if you ask nicely.”  
Jasmine felt her cheeks grow hot, and she knew she was blushing but there was nowhere to hide.  
Chris raised his hand and rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “There you go again. You’re confident, you take compliments and you can really, really flirt, but then suddenly you get all demure.”  
“You make me nervous,” she admitted, resisting the temptation to turn her head and kiss his palm.  
“Why? I’ve already seen you in your underwear.”  
“I’m being serious.”  
“Then maybe we should break the ice.”  
Anticipation raced through her veins. Having struggled on several occasions to meet his eye, she found now that she couldn’t look away. His hand slipped into her hair and he drew her towards him, kissing her softly. Her pulse raced as a thrill ran through her.  
“Well, this is terrible,” Jasmine breathed when they broke apart. She felt very unsteady, even though she was laying down.  
His smile faltered. “What? Why?”  
“Because now I’ll want you to kiss me all the time.”  
“Remember you said that!” He laughed, drawing her in again.  
“You thought I meant you were a terrible kisser,” she teased, her lips brushing his as she spoke.  
“Shut up.”  
She laughed as he pulled her close so the length of her body pressed against him. He was warm and smelled good, like sun-dried cotton and something fresh and outdoorsy. They kissed again, deeper and longer. Jasmine felt her body jerk awake, synapses firing.   
After a while, he rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him, and she brought her legs up to straddle his hips and slid her hands under his top. She couldn’t hold back a huge grin as she encountered hard abs under hot skin, and she heard his breath catch as her fingers travelled over his stomach. “You are dangerously sexy.”  
“I’ve never been called that before.”  
“You could easily make a girl forget herself.”  
“It’s okay if you’re not comfortable. We can take it slow.”  
She took a deep breath, looking down at him, hyperaware of every part of her that touched him. His skin beneath her fingertips, his thighs underneath her. Her body ached for him to touch her. “I really want to fuck you and I’m pretty sure you feel the same. Are you going to think any less of me if we do that now, rather than waiting?”  
Her answer was a fierce kiss. He pulled her down to him so fast that he got a mouthful of her hair as it fell forward and he impatiently brushed it away. His hands, finally, were on her thighs, pushing up the hem of her dress.  
His confidence seemed vast and all-encompassing, making hers seem small and insignificant in comparison. She felt afraid that she wouldn’t be enough. She’d never been with anyone remotely near his league, and she worried that he’d expect her to have all manner of tricks up her sleeve. Her sex life had hardly been earth-shattering, and for the past few months, it had been non-existent. What if she wasn’t interesting or adventurous enough for him? What if she couldn’t compete with all the glamorous Hollywood women whom she felt sure he usually went out with?  
Under his constant encouragement, telling her how good she felt or how much he liked her touch, she eventually relaxed. The _what if_ thoughts faded and her confidence grew. She realised that when his lips were on hers or his hands were on her skin, the world lost its edges and her consciousness narrowed to just him and her.  
Hunger was the only thing that drove them out of the fort, and even then, it was past midnight. She had intended to roast a chicken for dinner but it was far too late to cook so, while Chris pulled on his jeans, she wrapped herself in a spare fort sheet and headed downstairs to the kitchen drawer where she stuffed all the takeout menus. After a moment, he came up behind her, gently pushing her hair over one shoulder so he could kiss her neck as he folded his arms around her. She sighed, arching her back a little as her hands fumbled with the menus.  
“Any recommendations?” she asked shakily, holding up a handful of menus.  
He reached across her shoulder and plucked one out of her hand, his lips not leaving her skin.  
“Okay, but you need to stop that while I order.”  
“Spoilsport,” he sulked, resting his chin on her shoulder but not releasing his hold on her.  
“What do you want?”  
“You to hop up on the counter and –”  
“To eat,” she interrupted.  
“I was getting to that part.” He dodged the elbow she aimed at his ribs, laughing quietly in her ear. “Get me a large garbage pizza. They’ll know what it is.”  
Jasmine turned in his arms, eyeing him suspiciously. “Is that some kind of code? Will they send a kilo of cocaine and four hookers?”  
Chris laughed uproariously. “I promise there are no drugs or hookers.”  
When the food arrived, Jasmine learned that a garbage pizza had pretty much everything on it. They retreated to the fort to eat and she retrieved the forgotten beers from the cooler. It was a warm night with a cool breeze and they talked while they ate, small talk about how their days had been. Chris would be heading to England on Wednesday and Jasmine felt strangely jarred by this, although it was barely any of her business. It was only for a couple of weeks but still, her stomach twisted and swarmed with butterflies at the thought of him being so far away.  
She watched his face while he talked. He invoked a lot of feelings in her, not all of which she was prepared to admit, even to herself. He was funny, smart and compelling and a dozen other things, and she felt utterly overwhelmed by him. Her biggest fear was how easily he could chew her up and spit her out. The feeling nestled under the surface, nudging her now and again to remind her it was there. She didn’t have the first clue how to handle a man as multifaceted as him and she doubted if she could hold his attention for long.  
As if he could sense her unease, he opened his arms for her again and she went to him willingly, laying herself bare both literally and figuratively. Regardless of how she felt, she had him now and she was determined to enjoy it. But as he moved his hands over her shoulders and across her back, his touch made her skin feel hot, as if her wings were already burning.  
  
  



End file.
